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Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong will unveil its brand-new bar and lobby café concepts this Thursday, 15 July after many months of anticipation.
ARGO, the new bar headlined by top mixologist Lorenzo Antinori, debuts with a signature menu called “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow” featuring six ingredients – honey, cacao, vanilla, coffee, rice and apple – that could become rare commodities in the near future.
The extravagant venue, dominated by a pillar of illuminated bottles and flanked by an elegant, pastel-hued saloon designed by AB Concept, revolves around the art of spirit making.
The name “ARGO” pays homage to the myth of Jason and the Argonauts and their adventures in discovering and exploring new realms.
The single-origin negroni is a partnership between ARGO and Malaysia-based Chocolate CONCIERGE, which ethically sources single-origin cocoa from the local Malay indigenous communities. The gin is aged in cocoa pods in order to infuse the alcohol with deep, chocolatey notes. Splashes of vermouth and Campari, alongside smoked jalapeño, add to the complex flavour profile.
Another signature is the ARGO martini, made with ARGO’s own branded gin and seasonal hydrosols, served along with a “magic olive”. The “olive” is a molecular gastronomic twist, packed with an intense, briny olive flavour once it pops in the mouth.
On the milder side (and our favourite on the menu) is Bark, Leaf & Love, a blend of Pierre Ferrand cognac, Barr Hill honey gin, split cream, ivy tea and sandalwood. The cocktail also uses honey from HK Raw Honey, where ARGO owns their own bee hive. The golden, caramel-like layers of flavour of the honey infusion make for a very memorable drink.
Served with a torched baby corn, Hotel Juarez features Curado Cupreata tequila, toasted corn, aged awamori, lemon and egg white. The corn gives this relatively light cocktail an undertone of toasted grain.
Because one gin just doesn’t cut it, we wrapped up our evening with a gimlet flight, a trio that consists of St George ATLAS orange gin infused with passion fruit, Canaïma gin scented with cocoa and Monker’s Garkel, the world’s first AI-created gin.
Verdict
Bottom’s up! We forecast that ARGO will be the hottest watering hole in Hong Kong this summer.
G/F, Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, 8 Finance Street, Central, 3196 8882
This write-up is based on a complimentary media tasting provided in exchange for an honest review and no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed here represent the author’s.
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